July 06, 2007
Bowling
Green, Ky. - Talking about the weather has gone high-tech at the Kentucky Mesonet.
By accessing the web-based weather and climate forum at http://forums.kymesonet.org/, Kentucky residents will be able to provide input and discuss drought impacts around the state, according to Dr. Stuart Foster, state climatologist and director of the Kentucky Climate Center at Western Kentucky University.
“With a drought, it is difficult to document the impacts because they develop slowly, unlike a tornado or flood where the impact is quickly evident,” said Dr. Foster, who also directs the Mesonet project. “We want people around the state to be civic-minded and discuss the impact of drought conditions in their areas.”
Megan Ferris, the Mesonet’s quality assurance specialist, and WKU student Andrew Quilligan, an information technology intern, developed the online forum.
The goal, Ferris said, is for the site to become a focal point for drought information in Kentucky. The forum includes links to news about the drought, drought resources and drought impacts (agriculture, business and industry, environment and social).
“Even though many areas have received rain in the past week, we’re still in a drought,” Quilligan said.
The success of the online forum, Dr. Foster said, “will depend on people making it a priority to participate and recognize the value in the information they provide.”
“The drought motivated us to get this web-based forum launched,” he said, “but we fully expect to expand the forum to invite discussion on other weather topics and climate-related hazards.”
More information on the Mesonet is available online at http://www.kymesonet.org For more on the Kentucky Climate Center, visit http://kyclim.wku.edu/
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For information, contact Stuart Foster at (270) 745-5983.
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